"By the time I return, I hope to see a Bilgewater that's finally stabilized!"
Standing from his chair, Duke bowed slightly, then gently tapped Miss Fortune on the forehead with his index and middle fingers. At that exact moment, Tahm obediently opened his mouth wide, with the weary resolve of a full-time laborer.
Within the gaping maw was a swirling chaos, like a vortex of ink. Duke collected everything that needed to be taken away, then, with Neeko and the little fishman in tow, leapt into the abyss of Tahm's mouth.
Once he'd swallowed Duke and Neeko, Tahm turned and gave Miss Fortune a wink. With a perfectly smooth leap, he spun a full 360 degrees mid-air and dove headfirst into the swirling vortex now surging from the carpet, vanishing from the suite.
Watching them disappear, Miss Fortune lightly touched the spot on her forehead where Duke had tapped her, and let out a soft laugh.
"Such a kid, where did he even learn all these tricks?"
Still, it felt good... to have someone to rely on.
With renewed spirit, Miss Fortune stood up from her chair.
"Time to get back to work. I can't let all his effort be for nothing, can I?"
Piltover – The Blue Lavender Estate
The lavender fields stretched endlessly.
It was late autumn now, and the lavender sea had begun its inevitable decline. Even with the gardeners' dedicated care, many of the once-blooming flowers were already withering away.
Suddenly, a vortex appeared midair. Ripples spread across its surface like disturbed water, and a fat catfish came flying out, landing gracefully on the ground. Its mouth opened wide, and three figures were promptly spat out.
Duke emerged first, sticky with saliva, and thoroughly disgusted.
"You really need to start brushing your teeth, Tahm."
"I'll work on it!"
Tahm flashed a toothy grin, then leapt back into the vortex, disappearing from sight. At least Duke got a little satisfaction from that. Still, if Tahm was going to run, now was definitely the time.
Sensing the smugness in Tahm's retreat, Duke let out a cold snort, but didn't call him back.
First things first: a bath.
The little fishman didn't seem to mind the mess, but Neeko looked downright miserable.
"Neeko is dirtyyy…"
"We'll clean up in a minute."
Duke reached to pat her head, but remembered his own hand was still slick with catfish spit and awkwardly pulled back.
Next time they traveled by "fish cab," he was leaving that fat bastard a little present.
Just then, the quiet night sky was pierced by a sharp noise, like something slicing through air. A cool blue shimmer lit up the darkness, elegant and deadly.
Whish!
An anchor-line shot from the void, slamming into the dirt at Duke's feet. Camille followed, descending like a swallow mid-dive, graceful, cold, and deadly.
She landed silently, gazing at Duke. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
"I thought it was that little thief trying to kill herself again. Didn't expect it to be you."
Her eyes drifted to Neeko and the little fishman.
"And you brought back souvenirs."
"They're not souvenirs. Also, you've been staying up all night again, haven't you? It's bad for your health, Camille."
"You should take a bath before lecturing me. You stink."
Camille took two steps back, then nodded politely to Neeko and the fishman.
"Welcome to House Ferros. Make yourselves at home."
Neeko flattened herself to the ground, tail shooting up like a startled kitten.
"You're scary! Neeko doesn't like you!"
She instinctively recoiled from Camille, sensing the razor-sharp aura of cold steel radiating off her.
"Adorable little thing," Camille said, utterly unfazed. As far as she was concerned, Neeko was Duke's responsibility, not hers.
"Go wash up. I'll be waiting in your workshop. You came back for that, didn't you?"
"Damn. You saw right through me."
After watching Camille walk off, Duke quickly herded the two little ones to the bath.
After cleaning up, it was nearly midnight. Neeko was already half-asleep. Duke carried her to a guest room. With the temperature dropping and her chameleon-like biology, she was practically going into hibernation.
As for the little fishman, Duke granted him permission to play games, leaving him to his own devices. Meanwhile, Duke himself returned to his private workshop.
Inside, warm lights bathed the space in a soft glow.
Camille was already seated at his workbench, her bladed legs elegantly crossed as she sipped tea.
Duke stepped inside and took a deep breath.
"Now this… this is what home smells like."
The familiar spartan furnishings, the neatly arranged tools, the old hook where he'd once hung Wally, it all felt so comforting.
"Alright. Let's hear it, how'd you make it back?"
Camille set her teacup down. Her icy blue eyes gleamed.
"I made a pact with a demon in Bilgewater. He brought me back."
"A demon?" Her voice grew sharper with concern. "That's not something to take lightly."
"He can't touch me. I hold the upper hand in the contract. He can freely traverse Runeterra, his stomach connects all waterways."
Duke gave her the short version of Tahm Kench. Camille fell into thought.
"That's… actually a decent asset."
"Right? You think I'd go through all that trouble and risk without getting something out of it?"
Duke moved toward his bench, shrugged off his coat, and tied on his tool belt. Now it really felt like he was home.
"Still," Camille mused, "you're thinking too small. Don't just use the demon for fast travel."
"Then what should I use him for?" Duke asked, fingers lightly brushing across the tool belt.
"Bilgewater is full of sea monsters, isn't it?"
Camille's tone was calm, but laced with intent.
"Have him teleport the beasts elsewhere, to eliminate your enemies."
Duke froze.
He hadn't thought of that.
His jaw tightened, his neck cracked audibly as he turned to face her.
"Guess my scope's been too narrow."
"You just trust your own strength and inventions too much," she said. "There are more tools at your disposal."
She paused, then added thoughtfully:
"Oh right, "
Duke pulled a black sail from his inventory.
"This is for you."
"Plank's sail?" Camille raised a brow. "You must've turned Bilgewater upside down."
If Duke had taken Pirate King Gangplank's black sail as a souvenir, it was obvious what had happened to Gangplank.
"Shame about the shipment. Dakal's gonna cry about it for weeks."
Duke shook his head. Camille remained unmoved.
"If she's the clan head now, then she needs to handle those burdens herself. I've done enough. It's time for you to take the lead."
"You really have high hopes for us."
Duke pulled out a blueprint for a sonic weapon. The sketch was of a specialized gun, just one of many prototypes he'd acquired through a lottery system.
"What's this?"
"A weapon that uses sonic resonance and penetration to inflict damage. I plan to mass-produce them and send them to support Bilgewater's upcoming Soul-Eater Night operation."
"You know as well as I do, if we want full control of Bilgewater, we need a show of force. Something to keep the rowdy ones in check."
"So I'm going to show those hillbillies what real suppression looks like, dimensional superiority."
As he stared at the blueprint, Camille placed a hand over it, halting him.
"We can't keep funneling free resources to Bilgewater forever." Her fingers tilted his chin toward her. "You know that."
"I know."
Duke tried to brush her hand aside.
"I'll give you a proper answer soon."
"Answers aren't enough."
Her grip stayed firm. She leaned in, voice low:
"I want to see that girl with my own eyes."
"You mean, ?" Duke swallowed hard.
Camille gently released his chin and turned to leave.
"Don't even think about running. You know what happens if you do."
Her eyes flicked over his face like a scalpel.
Duke's throat bobbed.
Oh, hell no.
Camille was headed to Bilgewater… to meet Miss Fortune.
Duke glanced at the blueprint on the table, then shoved it aside.
Weapons could wait.
Right now, he needed to get a message to Miss Fortune, fast.
If Camille really decided to act…
This wasn't a matter of feeding kills to the enemy, it was about how long someone would be stuck respawning at base.
End of chapter...
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